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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · trunk · rush · straw · ruler · leaves · content · cold

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. content — the amount
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cold — an illness
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. content — happy
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cold — not warm
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pop — to visit
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com